Your Logistics Uma Musume Has Issues

"Hehe… you kid, you're just bored and want to drag me out to play, aren't you?"

As she said that, Kagura raised her hand and gently poked Nice Nature's cheek.

Nice Nature didn't refute, just smiled sheepishly. Since starting training, she felt like her opportunities to see Kagura had become much fewer. She understood that studying hard and training diligently were her top priorities, but she still hoped to have the chance to be with Kagura like this, even if they did nothing, just lying on the grass of the athletic field and basking in the sun.

"Anyway, I ate a bit too much for dinner tonight. Since you have so much free time, do you want to go for a walk on the athletic field with me to digest a little?"

"Yes! Count me in!"

Nice Nature agreed without hesitation.

So, Kagura and Nice Nature reversed direction and headed towards Tracen Academy's athletic field.

Usually, you wouldn't see students on the athletic field at night. The only ones who would appear on the athletic field at this time, besides the occasional try-hard among the students and Rudolph Symbol, were Kagura, who had been collecting material to write strategy guides.

"It feels like it's been a long time since I've walked on the athletic field with Kagura like this… Since coming to Tracen Academy, Kagura always seems so busy."

"Yeah, well, I'm a Logistics Uma Musume, after all. There's always something to do."

"But I don't see the other Logistics Uma Musume being as busy as you, Kagura. Everyone else just goes to class normally and then writes things after class… Where else would you find someone like you, Kagura, who personally cooks and makes strategy plans for support targets?"

Nice Nature also understood what Logistics Uma Musume usually did. It was precisely because she knew that she felt Kagura deserved to be called the most outstanding Logistics Uma Musume in Tracen. Kagura had reached the pinnacle of what a Logistics Uma Musume could do in her support work. She was even capable of taking over the Trainer's job. Compared to those classmates who were still struggling with classes, tests, and homework, Kagura was simply too dazzlingly excellent.

"After all, I'm not just a Logistics Uma Musume, I'm also a maid of the Symbol family. Taking care of the young lady is also one of my duties."

"Ah… yeah."

Nice Nature sighed. The Symbol family was Kagura's benefactor, after all. When Kagura needed help the most, it was the Symbol family that provided her with the most urgently needed assistance. It was normal for Kagura to focus on supporting Rudolph Symbol. She was just envious that while Kagura equally distributed her gentleness to everyone, Rudolph Symbol was able to receive more attention from Kagura.

"What's wrong? Is it because I've been too busy lately and haven't had much time to tutor you, Quality, and you have some questions you want to ask me?"

"Although I'd like to say that's the reason, my studies are actually going pretty well…"

"Is that so? Then I'll ask the Chairwoman for a test for you to do later, to see how you've been learning recently. If you don't understand anything, be sure to call me in time. Although I'm usually quite busy, I can still find time to tutor you, Quality."

Kagura also knew that she hadn't been able to take care of Nice Nature's study progress much lately, but she had learned about Nice Nature's situation from some channels. Currently, Nice Nature's theoretical grades were steadily in the top three of the grade. This result was already quite good, and Kagura didn't need to provide extra tutoring to help her improve for the time being.

Kagura is always like this… always so concerned about me… so gentle…

This answer didn't surprise Nice Nature. This answer was so Kagura's style. No matter what, Kagura always seemed to be thinking of others.

A thought popped into Nice Nature's mind, a somewhat impolite thought. She had seen those Uma Musume do this to their Trainers in the park before. She wondered if Kagura would agree to such a request.

"Kagura… can I… can I have a hug?"

After hesitating for a long time, Nice Nature had unknowingly walked more than half a lap around the track with Kagura before she finally mustered the courage to ask Kagura beside her.

"Hmm?"

Kagura stopped to look at Nice Nature. Although it wasn't uncommon for people to want to hug her, Rudolph Symbol had asked her such a question here last time. It was said that hugging her could relax one's mood. Although Kagura didn't know what the principle was, at least she knew that hugging herself when she was nervous had no effect at all. But since Nice Nature would say that, could it be that she was under a lot of pressure recently, like Rudolph Symbol, and wanted to relax, which was why she wanted to do this?

"Quality, has the training pressure been very high recently? Or do you feel like you're struggling to learn things?"

"No… no, I just suddenly wanted to do that…"

Nice Nature responded hesitantly. She couldn't say why, she just inexplicably had a sense of urgency in her heart. She felt like she was falling behind in some unknown area, but she couldn't figure out why.

"Hehe, don't be nervous, Quality. It's just a hug, it's not a big deal. If you want to, please feel free."

"Mmm…"

After hesitating for a moment, Nice Nature reached out and gently hugged Kagura, who was already a head shorter than her.

Unlike Rudolph Symbol, who had specifically squatted down at the time, Kagura couldn't pat Nice Nature's head like she had when hugging Rudolph Symbol because Nice Nature was taller than her. She could only hug Nice Nature tightly. She felt that Nice Nature's body seemed to be trembling slightly because of nervousness.

"Quality, relax… don't be nervous. If you feel tired, you can lean on my shoulder and rest for a while."

Leaning in Nice Nature's arms, Kagura gently patted Nice Nature's back, whispering softly in her ear in a gentle and delicate voice, like coaxing a child to sleep.

Nice Nature could clearly feel Kagura's warm breath brushing past her ear, tickling her ears a little. The warmth that was tightly pressed against her in her arms made her heart beat faster.

She didn't know what this feeling was. She also wanted to hug Kagura in her arms tightly, but Kagura's body was soft and slender, so she didn't dare to use too much force, for fear that her strength would hurt Kagura.

After a while, she heard Kagura humming a gentle tune softly in her ear. The soft singing made Nice Nature feel a little dazed, as if she had returned to the time when she was still in her old home as a child, leaning in the arms of her mother who was coaxing her to sleep. Being wrapped in a gentle aura, Nice Nature only felt her consciousness becoming more and more blurred. The feeling of nervousness had disappeared at some point. She unconsciously lowered her head and just happened to lean on Kagura's shoulder, who was shorter than her.

"She really is tired… that's right, after all, she had training today and was preparing for my celebration…"

Seeing that Nice Nature had fallen asleep on her shoulder in a short while, Kagura smiled helplessly. Although she wanted to move to find a good place for Nice Nature to rest, the place where Nice Nature was sleeping was really not good. She couldn't reach the lawn next to her in front, and she couldn't lean against the fence in the back. Kagura looked around for a long time and confirmed that no one would run to the track in the middle of the night to work hard, so she decided to just stand here and let Nice Nature sleep for a while.

The weather was already getting a little cold now. Seeing that Nice Nature was wearing a rather thin school uniform, Kagura took off the scarf around her neck to prevent Nice Nature from catching a cold from the night wind, and then gently wrapped it around Nice Nature and her neck.

This way, neither of us will get cold… Hmph, it was the right decision to buy a longer scarf. It can block two people at once in situations like this.

"I'll take some time to go out with Quality in a few days."

Thinking this, Kagura picked up her phone and freed up one hand to send a message to Trainer Nanban, asking if there was any free time in the training plan in the next few days. She wanted to take Nice Nature out for a walk.

Trainer Nanban didn't seem to be resting at this time either. Kagura received a reply from Trainer Nanban not long after she sent the message. The other party was very happy that she could take Nice Nature out for a walk. He said that he was just worried that Nice Nature had been too focused on training recently and was wondering how to find a way to relax her. Now that Kagura was here, this problem was solved.

"Radish cake… eh!!"

After a few minutes, whether it was due to some subconscious instinct, Nice Nature suddenly woke up from her sleep. She saw that Kagura was still standing in front of her, waiting for her to wake up, maintaining the posture she had been hugging her in a few minutes ago.

She felt warm on her neck. She subconsciously raised her hand and touched it, and found that she and Kagura were sharing a scarf. She was a little cold because she was wearing a little thin tonight, but after being hugged by Kagura like this, she felt warm all over and didn't feel cold at all.

"Hehe, I knew you were tired, Quality. How is it, are you awake?"

"Ah… I'm sorry!! I actually fell asleep on the track like this, and I troubled you, Kagura, to stand here with me for so long!"

Nice Nature snapped out of it, feeling her face flush, and quickly apologized to Kagura, untying the scarf and returning it to her.

"Hehe, it was only a few minutes, nothing major. Now that you're awake, Quality, why don't you go back to the dorm and rest? If you stay out any later, Fuji Kiseki will get worried."

"O-okay!"

With that, Nice Nature hastily released Kagura and scurried away.

Hmph... Quality is still so easily flustered. I'll talk to her again about going out to play in a few days.

84. Rudolph Symbol Family (Not)

[Kagura-chan! I just noticed this post! So, Kagura-sensei is you! [Link]]

After preparing breakfast for Rudolph Symbol and heading out for a morning run, Kagura stopped to rest under a tree in the park next to Tracen Academy. Sitting and leaning against the tree, enjoying one of the few moments of free time in her day, she suddenly heard the notification sound of a new message on her phone. She picked it up and saw that it was from Invincible.

Clicking on the link, Kagura found that it was the photo she had taken with Machikane during the last open house, which Machikane had posted on Umastagram. It seemed Invincible had stumbled upon it.

[I've been following your videos to learn how to cook! Your cooking is amazing! And Kagura-chan isn't from China, right? Your Chinese food is better than some of the locals here! Have you lived in China before?]

Ah, I did live there for over twenty years... but, [Inari Kagura] has never been to China...

Kagura thought to herself, and typed out a quick reply:

[No, I just learned it because I enjoy it.]

[Wow! Kagura-chan is so amazing! I saw someone reposting your videos on a website over here, and they're getting so many views!]

[Well, if you guys like them, that's the best compliment I could ask for. By the way, Invincible-san, did you contact me today just to share my videos?]

[Of course not! I wanted to ask, does Kagura-chan have any plans to open an account on Bilibili? Ah, does Kagura-chan know what Bilibili is? It's like Umastagram over here.]

[I know, I even authorized those reposted videos. Why?]

[That's great! A lot of your fans here are hoping you'll come and be active on the platform! I also think Kagura-chan's videos are really worth sharing in our country for everyone to see. Are you really not considering giving it a try?]

Speaking of Bilibili, Kagura had actually been thinking about opening an account there for a while, but she simply couldn't find the time to manage so many accounts, so she had to put the idea on hold for the time being.

[If Kagura-chan is worried about not understanding Chinese, I can help Kagura-chan manage the account! I just came back to China these past few days.]

Seemingly thinking that Kagura hadn't chosen to open an account there due to language barriers, Invincible quickly added another sentence.

Invincible-san has already returned to China?

Kagura was still very interested in the China of this world, but she currently had no way to visit, so Invincible, the Uma Musume from there, had become her only means of learning about it. That was why she had unhesitatingly chosen to exchange contact information with Invincible when they first met.

[Invincible-san, are you serious? Running an account can be very tiring, you know?]

[It's okay, I only have a user account myself, and I just browse videos when I'm bored. If Kagura-chan is willing to let me run your account, it would also give me a chance to train myself~]

[While I'm very happy that Invincible-san has this intention, it shouldn't affect your studies and career, okay?]

[Of course not! Trust the children of China! Our multitasking abilities will definitely surprise you!]

Seeing Invincible add a thumbs-up emoji at the end, Kagura couldn't help but smile. Having been through that rat race herself, how could she not know this? She wasn't worried that Invincible would run into any unexpected situations, after all, her current identity was that of a foreigner, and as long as she didn't deliberately do anything terrible, nothing would happen. She believed that Invincible's personality wouldn't cause any trouble.

So, Kagura agreed to Invincible's proposal without much hesitation. After briefly discussing the operation and related income, the matter was settled. Now, Kagura's two accounts already had different people in charge of operating them. Eclipse was currently helping her manage her Umastagram account, and now Invincible was helping her with the account over there. She really only needed to focus on how to create and edit the videos to give to the two of them to post.

After dealing with this little interlude, Kagura looked at the time on her phone. It was still early, and she was considering whether to run a couple more laps.

Hmm? Behind that chair over there...

Just as she stood up, Kagura saw a small Uma Musume squatting behind a chair a little distance away, holding up two tree branches as if playing hide-and-seek, as if that would make her invisible.

After looking closely for a while, Kagura realized that the child seemed to be looking at her. She felt a little baffled, but seeing the child squatting there was quite tiring, and the chestnut-haired Uma Musume who looked like the child's parent, sitting a little further away, seemed to be having a hard time holding back her laughter. Kagura decided it was better not to torture the child any longer, so she called out to the child:

"Little girl behind the chair, what are you doing squatting there? You've been squatting for a long time, are you hiding from someone?"

"I've been discovered!"

As Kagura's voice fell, the little Uma Musume trembled as if she had been startled, and then tried to stand up with a full of vigor, but before she could stand up, her head 'thunk!' hit the chair. She immediately teared up and squatted down, hugging her head.

This, in turn, startled Kagura. Seeing that the child had hit herself quite hard, she quickly ran over to check on her. She carried some simple medical supplies like band-aids with her, so she could handle any minor situations that might arise. The parent next to her also ran over with a wry smile.

"Hey... little girl, you look like you hit yourself pretty hard, are you really okay?"

"I'm fine... The Emperor wouldn't fall so easily! It was just a normal bump!"

The little Uma Musume, who called herself The Emperor, stood up hugging her head, sticking out her chest as if trying to appear calm - of course, it would have been more convincing if she had wiped away the tears that had just been knocked out of her eyes.

Kagura then noticed that she had seen this Uma Musume before. The white highlights in her bangs were too eye-catching. This child was the one who had been blocked outside the crowd of reporters and various social figures who had come to interview Rudolph Symbol after her victory, and then had been dragged away by her parent.

Looking at her up close now, the child looked very young, probably about the same age as Mejiro McQueen, or even younger than Kagura.

"I think I've seen you before, little girl."

"That's right! I've seen you too! At Rudolph Symbol-san's post-race interview, you were the pretty lady in the maid outfit standing by the railing on the second floor, watching!"

"Pretty lady is quite a title... By the way, little girl, you actually saw me? I thought I was standing in the shadows and was relatively hidden."

It seemed that this little Uma Musume had noticed her at the time, but the title was really making Kagura laugh and cry.

"Of course! The Emperor's eyesight is very good... Gah!?"

"Teio, it's your first time meeting this lady, you can't be so rude."

Before the little Uma Musume could finish speaking, the parent who had come up from behind pressed down on her head and rubbed it hard twice. Kagura heard the little Uma Musume make a strange noise as she was rubbed.

"Hello, cute little girl, we saw you at Rudolph Symbol-san's post-race interview last time. This child is called Tokai Teio. After seeing you just now, she kept saying she wanted to talk to you, but she didn't have the courage to come up, so she kept hiding on the side... I hope it didn't bother you."

"Haha, not at all, such a cute little girl, and without any malice, how could I be bothered? May I ask what I should call you, big sister?"

The parent looked quite young. Unsure of her age, Kagura decided to call her "big sister." After all, not everyone was as unconcerned about age as Speed Symbol. As Kagura expected, the woman's smile widened, and her ears twitched happily, clearly pleased with the address.

"I'm this child's mother, Tokai Nature. And you are?"

"Nature-nee-san, my name is Inari Kagura. I'm Logistics Uma Musume for Rudolph Symbol… It's nice to meet you! By the way, Nature-nee-san said Teio-chan wanted to talk to me. What is it about?"

"Ah! You're Rudolph Symbol-san's supporter!?"

Teio seemed to have heard of her supporter before, which didn't surprise Kagura. After all, besides Rudolph Symbol's races, there was a lot of buzz online about the support team behind her. Aside from Toujou Hana, who was already in the public eye, there was Kagura, who had yet to make an appearance.

"Yes, but please don't go around telling everyone. It would really cause me trouble."

"It's okay! The Emperor will definitely keep your secret! By the way, pretty lady, since you're a Logistics Uma Musume, does that mean you get to go backstage first to see Rudolph Symbol-san after every race?"

Upon recognizing Tokai Teio, Kagura had guessed that the child would ask her something like this. After all, the girl had been bouncing up and down in the back row, clearly eager to see Rudolph Symbol up close.

"Yes, if you want to come and see next time, you can look upstairs or outside the door. I usually wait there for the press conference to end. If Rudolph Symbol-san agrees, I can take you to see her."

"Then please do!"

Tokai Teio bowed deeply to her in an exaggerated manner, making Kagura realize just how terrifying Rudolph Symbol's popularity was. Even such a young child already had the hobby of chasing stars.

Kagura wanted to reach out and pat the cute child's head, but considering that the child's parent was still there, she didn't want to do anything that might be considered impolite.

"Alright, is that all, Teio-chan? If you don't need anything else from me, I'm going to continue my morning run, okay?"

"!? Big sister is running here too?"

Tokai Teio suddenly looked surprised, and Kagura felt a hint of anticipation in the child's eyes.

"Yes, I come out for a run when I have time. The park is spacious, and the air is good, making it a great place for exercise."

Although she had a bad feeling about this, Kagura answered truthfully.

"Then… ca… can you run a race with me! Not training, but a real race! Please! Big sister! I really want to race someone! But everyone who comes to the park regularly doesn't dare to race me after running with me once…"

As she spoke, Tokai Teio's ears drooped in disappointment, but then she looked up again, her face full of expectation.